U.S. patent number 5,272,783 [Application Number 07/916,813] was granted by the patent office on 1993-12-28 for butterfly mop structure.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Holly M. Richardson. Invention is credited to Holly M. Richardson, Betty J. Ross.
United States Patent |
5,272,783 |
Richardson , et al. |
December 28, 1993 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Butterfly mop structure
Abstract
An improved butterfly mop comprises a sponge member adapted to
be either urged into a normal position for cleaning, or folded
inwardly upon itself in a compressed position to facilitate
squeezing of the sponge member, or folded outwardly upon itself
into a retracted position with the underside of the sponge member
exposed to facilitate maneuvering the sponge into narrow recesses
or around tight corners. In one embodiment the butterfly mop
comprises retraction members secured to the sponge member whereby
the sponge member is easily forced into its retracted position.
Inventors: |
Richardson; Holly M. (Burbank,
CA), Ross; Betty J. (Van Nuys, CA) |
Assignee: |
Richardson; Holly M. (Burbank,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
27102814 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/916,813 |
Filed: |
July 20, 1992 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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682096 |
Apr 5, 1991 |
5131111 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
15/119.2;
15/244.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47L
13/258 (20130101); A47L 13/146 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47L
13/20 (20060101); A47L 13/258 (20060101); A47L
13/10 (20060101); A47L 13/146 (20060101); B08B
013/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;15/105,119.2,244.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moore; Chris K.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Nilsson, Wurst & Green
Parent Case Text
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part of Application Ser. No. 07/682,096
filed Apr. 5, 1991 and entitled "Butterfly Mop Structure," now U.S.
Pat. No. 5,131,111.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An improved butterfly mop, comprising:
a handle;
a sponge holder attached to the handle and having wing members
adapted to hold a sponge, the wing members rotatable substantially
forwardly into a compressed position and backwardly into a
retracted position form a normal orientation wherein the wing
members are in line with one another; and
wing positioning structure mounted to the handle and the sponge
holder the wing positioning structure having retraction member
secured to the wing members, forward movement of the wing
positioning structure from the normal orientation urging the wing
member into said compressed position and backward movement of the
wing positioning structure from the normal orientation pulling the
retraction members backward so as to cause said wing members to
fold back into said retracted position.
2. An improved butterfly mop as defined in claim 1, wherein said
wing positioning structure further comprises:
a manually movable U-shaped member to allow said sponge member to
be folded into different positions.
3. An improved butterfly mop as defined in claim 2, wherein said
wing positioning structure further comprises:
a positioning assembly coupled to said clevis, said positioning
assembly usable for moving said U-shaped member between the normal
orientation, said compressed position and said retracted position,
said positioning assembly adapted to move to and from along the
length of said handle and to rotate through limited angles relative
to said handle.
4. An improved butterfly mop as defined in claim 1, wherein said
said retracted position said sponge member is compressible to a
thickness of less than about two inches.
5. An improved butterfly mop as defined in claim 1, wherein said
sponge member in said compressed position is further compressible
to a thickness of less than about two inches.
6. An improved butterfly mop as defined in claim 5, wherein said
handle has a protrusion extending therefrom, said protrusion
adapted to ride along an internal track defined in said positioning
assembly, said internal track having an intermediate bend between
opposed front and rear flight paths, said protrusion being lodged
in position in said bend when said U-shaped member is in said
normal orientation and being aligned with one of said opposed
flight paths upon rotational movement of said positioning assembly
which causes said U-shaped member to engage the wing members and
urge them into said compressed position or pull the wing members
into said retracted position.
7. An improved butterfly mop as defined in claim 6 wherein said
wing member as held in the retracted position by rotational
movement of said positioning assembly in a direction which urges
said protrusion into a recess disposed proximate said rear flight
path.
8. An improved butterfly mop, comprising:
a handle;
a sponge holder attached to the handle and having wing members
adapted to hold a sponge; and
means for squeezing liquid from said sponge member by folding said
sponge member in a first direction relative to the handle through
an angle of about 90 degrees so that the sponge member when folded
in the second direction is compressible to a thickness of less than
about two inches, said sponge member also being adapted to be
folded in a second direction opposite said first direction through
an angle of about 90 degrees relative to the handle, so that the
sponge member when folded in the second direction is compressible
to a thickness of less than about two inches.
9. An improved butterfly mop, comprising:
a handle;
a sponge holder attached to the handle and having wing members
rotatable substantially forwardly into a compressed position and
backwardly into a retracted position from a normal orientation
wherein the wing members are in lien with one another; and
wing positioning structure mounted to the handle and the sponge
holder the wing positioning structure in the normal orientation
engaging the wing member to maintain said wing members in line with
one another, the wing positioning structure in the compressed
position engaging said wing members to use said wing members to
pivot forwardly into said compressed position, and backward
movement of the wing positioning structure from normal orientation
resulting in rearward movement relative to said wing members such
that said wing member pivot rearwardly into said retracted
position.
10. An improved butterfly mop as defined in claim 9, further
comprising:
actuator structure carried on the handle at a position remote from
the sponge holder and connected to the wing positioning means which
is manually actuated to locate said wing positioning structure in
one of said normal orientation, said compressed position and said
retracted position.
11. An improved butterfly mop, comprising:
a handle;
means for mounting a sponge attached to said handle, said mounting
means being maintained in a normal orientation wherein the center
of said mounting means is in line with opposing ends thereof, said
mounting means from said normal orientation rotatable substantially
forwardly about said center into a compressed position and
backwardly about said center into a retracted position; and
means for guiding said mounting means which is mounted to said
handle, said guiding means having retraction members secured to
said mounting means, forward movement of said guiding means from
the normal orientation aging the wing members into said compressed
position and backward movement of the wing positioning structure
from the normal orientation causing the retraction members to fold
back into said retracted position.
12. An improved butterfly mop
a handle;
a sponge holder attached to the handle and having wing members
rotatable substantially forwardly into a compressed position and
backwardly into a retracted position from a normal orientation
wherein the wing members are in line with one another; and
wing positioning structure mounted to the handle and the sponge
holder, the wing positioning structure in the normal orientation
engaging the wing members to maintain said wing members in line
with one another, the wing positioning structure in the compressed
position engaging said wing members to urge said wing members to
pivot forwardly into sad compressed position, and backward movement
of the wing positioning structure from normal orientation
permitting rearward movement relative to said wing members such
that said wing members pivot rearwardly into said retracted
position.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to butterfly mops. In particular, this
invention relates to a butterfly mop where the sponge member of the
mop is adapted to be either urged into a normal position for
cleaning, or folded inwardly upon itself and compressed to
facilitate squeezing of the sponge member, or folded outwardly upon
itself into a compact structure with the underside of the sponge
member exposed to facilitate maneuvering the sponge into narrow
recesses or around tight corners.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Butterfly mops are known cleaning devices which include a handle
having mounted at one end a sponge member which is adapted to be
folded approximately in half and squeezed to remove water contained
in the pores of the sponge. Typical mops are illustrated in the
following patents:
______________________________________ Inventor Patent No.
______________________________________ J. Palama, Jr. et al.
2,685,098 P. S. Vosbikian et al. 2,725,585 H. Gantz 2,730,741 W. H.
Richards et al. 2,757,398 F. Zottola 2,730,743 F. Zottola 2,858,557
P. S. Vosbikian et al. 2,883,689 A. E. Clements 2,896,235 F. B.
Zottola 2,916,754 W. H. Richards 2,967,317 P. A. Morgan 3,050,761
W. H. Richards 3,147,502 K. Morrison et al. 4,831,677 D. A. Jones
4,864,675 U. K. Patent 793,981
______________________________________
Prior art butterfly mops are characterized by complicated
mechanical structures to compress the sponge member. Such complex
mechanical structures are bulky, costly to manufacture and
impossible to use in narrow recesses. As a general rule, butterfly
mops are only designed to compress the sponge member and do not
fold the sponge member outwardly upon itself to expose
substantially all of the underside of the sponge member when so
folded. This has not been recognized as a desirable attribute of
butterfly mops until the present invention.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a butterfly
mop which has a simplified mechanism for compressing the sponge
member that also allows the sponge member to be folded outwardly
upon itself to expose the underside of the sponge member. This
provides a compact structure that fits into a narrow recess or
around a tight corner normally inaccessible to conventional mops
and that has a cleaning surface available for wiping the surfaces
of the recess.
The device of this invention has several features, no single one of
which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without
limiting the scope of this invention as expressed by the claims
which follow, its more prominent features will now be discussed
briefly. The features of the present invention provide a butterfly
mop having numerous advantages over the prior art, which include
compactness, simplicity of construction, and convenience and
versatility of use.
A first feature is that the mop has a sponge holder comprising a
pair of wing members having spring-biased hinges which enable the
wing members to rotate either 90.degree. toward the handle or
90.degree. away from the handle. The spring-biased hinges normally
position the wing members in line with one another at a right angle
with respect to the handle. This normal position is used for most
cleaning applications.
A second feature is a U-shaped member which moves toward and away
from the wing members between a normal position, a forward
(downward) position and a retracted (upward) position. In the
normal position, the U-shaped member engages the wing members to
maintain them at a right angle with respect to the handle. In the
forward position, the U-shaped member engages the wing members to
force these members to pivot inwardly about the hinges to compress
the sponge member. In the retracted position, the U-shaped member
disengages from contact with the wing members to permit these
members to pivot outwardly so that the underside of the sponge
member is exposed when the wing members are folded outwardly
towards each other.
A third feature is a positioning, assembly, including a sleeve
through which the handle passes. The sleeve has an internal track
with opposed ends and a bend or jog between the opposed ends. The
sleeve is mounted to rotate relative to the handle. The handle has
a button which rides along the internal track. The button is
located at the bend when the U-shaped member is in the normal
position. The sleeve is rotated in one direction and moved toward
the wing members to dislodge the button from the bend and allow the
button to ride in the track as the U-shaped member is moved to the
forward (down) compressed position. The sleeve is rotated in the
opposite direction and moved in a rearward direction away from the
sponge holder to dislodge the button from the bend and allow it to
ride further rearward in the track as the U-shaped member is moved
into the retracted (upward) position.
A fourth feature is that the wing members with a sponge member
mounted thereon upon being folded can be compressed to a combined
thickness of less than two inches. This enables the mop of the
present invention to access narrow recesses and passageways. Thus,
with the mop so folded and the underside of the sponge completely
exposed in the retracted position, the user can insert the sponge
member into a recess or around a tight corner and wipe the recess
or corner surface with the underside of the folded sponge.
In accordance with an alternative embodiment, a pair of retraction
members are attached at one end to each wing member by a hinge and
at the other end to the U-shaped member. As the sleeve is moved to
allow the U-shaped member to move to the retracted position, the
retraction members force the wing members into the retracted
position, with the underside of the sponge completely exposed.
These as well as other features of the invention will become
apparent from the detailed description which follows, considered
together with the appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated
in and by the following drawings in which like reference numerals
indicate like parts and in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the butterfly mop of the
invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the head
end of the mop;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG.
2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the head end
of the mop, with the U-shaped member moved to the forward
position;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the head end
of the mop, with the U-shaped member moved to the retracted
position;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the head end of the mop
in an inverted position and the U-shaped member moved forward to
hold the sponge member in the outwardly folded position;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the head end of the
mop, with the sponge member removed, the wing members folded
upwardly, and the retraction members holding the wing members in
the retracted position;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the handle
of the mop, showing the sleeve which is manually moved to control
the position of the U-shaped member;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a segment of the handle
of the mop inverted to show a button which rides in a track in the
sleeve shown in FIG. 6;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional schematic view showing the position of
the button relative to the track when the U-shaped member is in the
normal position;
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional schematic view showing the position of
the button relative to the track when the U-shaped member is in the
retracted position;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional schematic view showing the position of
the button relative to the track when the U-shaped member is in the
forward position;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the sponge member of this
invention;
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 14--14 of FIG.
13;
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the
butterfly mop of the invention showing retraction members secured
between the wing members and the U-shaped member;
FIG. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing the
head end of the mop in accordance with the alternative embodiment
of the present invention; and
FIG. 17 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the mop,
showing the mop in the retracted position in accordance with the
alternative embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, a butterfly mop of the present
invention, indicated generally at 10, includes a handle 12 with a
sponge member 14 removably attached to a sponge holder 15 at one
end or at the head 16 of the handle 12. The sponge holder 15
cooperates with a manually movable U-shaped member 17 to allow the
sponge member 14 to be folded into the different positions
illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.
The sponge member 14 includes a rectangular block 18 of resilient
synthetic sponge material, which has its upper surface 20 (best
shown in FIG. 13) secured by an adhesive to the underside of a
bifurcated carrier 22. This carrier 22 has two sections 24 and 26
spaced apart to provide a narrow gap 28 between the proximal ends
of these sections The gap 28 exposes a central portion 20a (best
shown in FIGS. 4 and 13) of the upper surface 20 of the sponge
block 18, but the sections 24 and 26 cover substantially all the
remaining upper surface 20 of the sponge block. The underside
surface 30 of the sponge block 18 is completely uncovered.
Each of the sections 24 and 26 of the carrier 22 has an outwardly
extending pin 32 near a distal end of each section. Each pin 32 has
a shaft 34 terminating in an enlarged head 36. Because of this
construction, the carrier sections 24 and 26 are adapted to bend
inwardly toward each other as illustrated in FIG. 2 to align the
pins 32 with receptacles 38 in the sponge holder 15. The pins 32
cooperate with the receptacles 38 to removably attach the sponge
member 14 to the sponge holder 15. The carrier sections 24 and 26
are injection molded from a polymeric material with the pins 32
being integrally formed with the base 22a. The sponge member 14 is
adapted to be attached to the sponge holder 15 whether the sponge
block 18 is dry or wet, because of the resiliency of the sponge
block.
The sponge holder 15 has a central T-shaped spline 40, having its
upper end attached by a rivet 42 to the handle 12, and a pair of
wing members 44 and 46 attached at their proximal ends by
spring-biased hinges 48 to the base 50 of the spline 40. The hinges
48 are designed to enable the wing members 44 and 46 to fold upon
themselves as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. The hinges 48 normally
position the sponge member 14 in a conventional cleaning
orientation or normal position as shown in FIG. 2. The manually
actuated U-shaped member folds the sponge member 14 inwardly upon
itself into the position shown in FIG. 4 to compress the sponge
block 18 and squeeze water from it. The manually actuated U-shaped
member also allows the sponge member to be folded outwardly upon
itself, into the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 17 to expose the
underside surface 30 of the sponge block when in this outwardly
folded position. The hinges 48 are designed to allow the wing
members 44 and 46 to rotate through an angle of about 90.degree. in
either direction from the normal position shown in FIG. 2, for a
total of about 180.degree. of rotation.
Each wing member 44 and 46 has along opposed edges a downwardly
extending flange 52. Rods 54 (FIG. 3) extending between the opposed
flanges 52 carry springs 56 coiled around the rods. The springs 56
normally position the wing members 44 and 46 so these wing members
are generally at a right angle with respect to the spline 40, as
shown in FIG. 2. Near the distal ends of the wing members 44 and
46, each of the receptacles 38 includes a narrow channel 58 which
terminates in an enlarged opening 60 near the proximal end of the
respective wing member.
The U-shaped member 17 straddles the clevis mount 40 which at one
end is attached to the head 16 of the handle 12. This U-shaped
member 17 includes a U-shaped open channel segment 60, having a
connector section 62 at one end and a pair of downwardly extending
legs 64 and 66 with the spline 40 between them. In the normal
position shown in FIGURE 2, feet 68 of the legs 64 and 66 engage
the top surface of the wing members 44 and 46 adjacent the hinges
48.
A positioning assembly 70 is used to move the U-shaped member 17
between the normal position shown in FIG. 2, the forward position
shown in FIG. 4 and a retracted position shown in FIGS. 5 and 17.
The positioning assembly 70 includes a two-piece sleeve 72 having a
hollow center 74 which receives the handle 12 therethrough, and a
rigid arm 76 which is securely attached at one end to an ear 78
(best shown in FIGS. 1 and 8) of the sleeve 72 and at the other end
to an ear 80 of the clevis connector section 62. The sleeve 72 is
adapted to move laterally to and from along the length of the
handle 12 or to rotate through limited angles, either clockwise or
counterclockwise, relative to the handle. The arm 76 has sufficient
flexibility to allow the sleeve 72 to rotate but is sufficiently
rigid to push or pull the clevis 17 as the sleeve is moved along
the length of the handle 12.
The two pieces of the sleeve 72 are attached by a screw 82 (shown
in FIG. 8) extending through the body of the sleeve and a rivet 84
extending through the connector section 78. As illustrated in FIGS.
10 through 12, the assembled pieces of the sleeve 72 form an
internal track 86 having an intermediate bend or jog 89 between
opposed ends of the internal track 86 and two opposed flights 86a
and 86b. The track 86 is formed in the internal wall of the sleeve
72 by a counterbore 88 adjacent a slot 90 shown in FIG. 9. A button
92 is securely attached to the handle 12 and has a washer 94 at its
base. The button 92 rides in the slot 90 and the washer 94 rides in
the counterbore 88 as the sleeve 72 is moved toward and away from
the head 16 of the mop 10. In one embodiment, the screw 82 serves
as a stop for the button 92 as it moves toward one end of the track
86.
When the U-shaped member 17 is in its normal position, as shown in
FIG. 2, the wing members 44 and 46 of the sponge holder 15 extend
outwardly and the button 92 is located at the bend 89 of the track
86, as illustrated in FIG. 10. With the sponge block resting on a
floor, when the user applies downward pressure toward the head 16
of the mop 10, the button 92 remains lodged in position in the bend
89 and the feet 68 of the U-shaped member 17 engage the top surface
of the wing members 44 and 46 to maintain these members in their
normal position as illustrated in FIG. 2. Sufficient rigidity is
thus provided so that the sponge member 14 is held in the position
shown in FIG. 2 and functions in the conventional manner.
When the user is ready to compress the sponge member 14, the sleeve
72 is rotated to move the button 92 into alignment with the front
flight 86a of the track 86. The user then pushes the sleeve 72
forward as illustrated by the arrow in FIG. 4 and the button 92
travels along the front flight 86a into the position illustrated in
FIGURE 12. This moves the arm 76 downwardly which forces the
U-shaped member 17 against the wing members 44 and 46 and folds
these wing members forwardly about the hinges 48 as shown in FIG.
4. This action compresses the sponge block 18 between the wing
members 44 and 46 and squeezes water from the sponge block. The
U-shaped member 17 may also be left in this position as illustrated
in FIG. 4 to store the mop 10.
Upon moving the sleeve 72 away from the head 16 of the mop 10, the
button 92 rides along the front flight 86a of the track until it
engages the bend 89, as indicated in phantom lines at 92' (FIG.
10). This disengages the U-shaped member 17 from the wing members
44 and 46, causing the springs 56 of the hinges 48 to urge the
members back to the normal position illustrated in FIG. 2. Upon
rotation of the sleeve 72 slightly as shown in FIG. 10 to bring the
button 92 into alignment with the rear flight 86b of the track 86,
and pulling the sleeve rearwardly to move it toward the upper end
of the mop 10, as shown in FIG. 11, the clevis 17 is lifted away
from the wing members 44 and 46. This enables the wing members 44
and 46 to be folded rearwardly as illustrated in FIG. 5 to expose
the underside surface 30 of the sponge block 18 in the rearwardly
folded position. The wing members 44 and 46 may be folded
rearwardly by simply forcing them into a narrow recess or by
grasping them and manually folding them outwardly. The U-shaped
member may then be moved to its forward position where the feet 68
grasp between them the folded wing members 44 and 46, as
illustrated in FIG. 7, to hold the sponge member 14 in the
rearwardly folded position illustrated in FIG. 5.
Referring now to FIGS. 15, 16 and 17, in accordance with an
alternative embodiment of the present invention, retraction members
100, which are preferably spring-loaded, extend between the wing
members 44 and 46 at one end and the ear 80 of the clevis connector
section 62 at the other end. The retraction members 100 are each
connected to one of the wing members 44 and 46 by a suitable hinge
102 centrally disposed at an inner peripheral edge 104 of the wing
members 44 and 46. Similarly, the retraction members 100 are
secured to the ear 80 whereby the rigid arm 76 is rigidly held
between the retraction members 100.
Upon rotation of the sleeve 72 slightly as shown in FIG. 10 to
bring the button 92 into alignment with the rear flight 86b of the
track 86, and pulling the sleeve 72 rearwardly to move it toward
the upper ,end of the mop 10, as shown in FIG. 11, the U-shaped
member 17 is lifted away from the wing members 44 and 46, causing
the retraction members 100 to pull the wing members 44 and 46 into
the outwardly folded position illustrated in FIG. 17. In practical
situations, the wing members 44 and 46 may not fold back to the
extent shown in FIG. 17.
The wing members 44 and 46 may be held in the outwardly-folded
position of FIG. 17 by again rotating the sleeve 72 slightly to
cause the button 92 to move out of the rear flight 86b of the track
86 and into a recess 87, as illustrated in phantom lines at 92,, in
FIG. 11.
The total width A of the wing members 44 and 46 when folded either
forwardly or rearwardly is compressible to less than two inches,
typically one and one-third of an inch, including the sponge member
14. With the sponge holder 15 in the position shown in FIG. 5, the
mop 10 can be used to access narrow passageways (for example,
between a wall and a refrigerator).
Although the invention has been described in terms of the preferred
embodiments thereof, other embodiments that are apparent to those
of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of the
invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is intended to
be defined only by reference to the appended claims.
* * * * *